The Mexican satellite television company began operations and will invest $450 thousand in advertising.
Marco Rojas, director of marketing for Sky, spoke to El Diario de Hoy and indicated that they already have 100 subscribers and expect to reach 5,000 or even 7,000 by the end of 2009 through an aggressive expansion plan.
The company plans to hire up to 60 service sub-distributors who will provide the installation service of the satellite system: "It is an opportunity for the Salvadoran business community," said the executive.
The new SUTEL called the concessionary companies of radio and television frequencies to be registered at the National Registration of Telecommunications.
As Leticia Vindas reports in Elfinancierocr.com, "This registration is of a public nature and should contain all the information relevant to the concessions, contracts and usage given to the radio spectrum.
From its branch in Panama, the international TV station, Inter Russia TV Channel, will attend to the Central American market.
Valerin Gaichuck, president of the company said to Prensa.com: "...the TV program will be broadcast from Panama to North and South America, and hope to also become a business guide, providing information on trends, products and services such as banking and tourism."
Ten companies are interested in entering the Cable TV market and are in the process of getting established.
Currently only six operate in the country. But if these 10 successfully complete their business plans, 16 companies will be competing for clients in the Panama market.
Cable Hogar, Conex Telecom, Teleservices Network, Panam Telecom, H-Tech Cable Panama and Mocatel are some of the 10 companies that are in the process of being installed.
DirectTV will broadcast news, entertainment and sports from Central America in the US via Telecentro.
Telecentro will also be transmitted in the US by the DirectTV More bilingual service and includes news, entertainment and sports from the main channels in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama.
"With the addition of Telecentro to DirectTV MORE, we can provide programming to the growing Central American community in the US to connect them to their countries of origin," said John de Armas, vice president of WorldDirect, Inc.
The Mexican company, Innova, which provides paid TV services under the Sky brand name, bought the DirectTV transmission rights.
DirectTV, which provide TV by satellite and which has been in the Panamanian market for 11 years, "is leaving the market and we are in the process of migrating subscribers and calling them to inform them of the change," said a source who preferred to remain anonymous.
LG Electronics, one of the world's largest television manufacturers, sees a promising market in Panama for Scarlet, the most recent product in its line of LCD televisions.
Miguel Heo, Sales Director for LG Electronics Panama, said the nation represents one of the most important points of sale in Latin America, where LG televisions are well accepted.
Mexico's América Movíl, flagship of Carlos Slim's business empire, is going to acquire Nicaragua's leading pay TV provider, Estesa, said Augusto Vargas, Estesa's general manager said.
The announcement follows the breakdown of talks with two other potential bidders, Benetton and Spain's La Caixa, Vargas said.
Slim, Latin America's most powerful business magnate, will make the acquisition through América Movil's local unit, Enitel, reports said.
With transmissions of half an hour three times a week, the Academy of Mayan Languages of Guatemala will begin operating the open television channel it owns in Guatemala.
"Our goal is to promote the Mayan, Garífuna, Xinca and Ladina cultures," said Channel TV Maya Director Rafael Morales. "Our transmissions will be bilingual. At the start we're going to transmit in Mayan languages with Spanish sub-titles."